Chapter 36: Class battles (pt3) - Crossfire Ascension

The crowd's roar from the ongoing matches still echoed in the upper stands as I slipped away from the A-6 section with Maxius perched invisibly on my shoulder and Lufei padding beside me, fluff tail held high like a general inspecting troops. The weight training cuffs around my ankles clinked lightly with each step.

No one stopped me—probably because I looked too serious to mess with.

Good. I had bets to place.

I made my way toward the outer ring of the Beast Arena where the federation-run betting kiosks were stationed. The screens flickered with ongoing and upcoming matchups: solo rounds. Most students placed bets for fun, tossing in a few hundred coins or so for excitement. I had strategy.

Alright, kiddos," I muttered, tapping my ring to display current odds. "Jin Minhe's match already gave us a nice prediction curve. Let's see who else fights like a war god in disguise."

Lufei craned her neck to peek at the list, while Maxius tilted his head, bored.

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📊📉Arena Combat Interface – Class Battle Day

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🎯 7 Arenas Active | 🛡️ Star Rank Grouped by Arena | 💰

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Live Bets Enabled

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🧾 Battle Format:

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• Round 1: Hand-to-Hand Only

• Round 2: Qi Use Only (no weapons)

• Round 3: Weapons Only (no beasts)

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📚 Classes: A–F | Levels: 1–7 | 35 students per class

🟨 Matches randomized across classes, same ★ Rank only

⸻

🥊 Current & Ongoing Matches

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C1 | ★1 | F1 vs C1 | Tan Ruo (F1–005) vs He Jin (C1–020)

| Round 2: Qi Only of 3 Rounds 1.8 : 1 |

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C2 | ★2 | D2 vs A2 | Tian Rou (D2–012) vs Xie Lan (A2–003)

| Round 1: Starting 3 Rounds 1.6 : 1 |

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C3 |★3 | A3 vs E3 |Qin Yuyan(A3–010) vs Gao Min(E3–015)

| Round 1: Midway 3 Rounds {1.4 : 1 |

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C4 | ★4 | C4 vs F4| Zhao Rong (C4–006) vs Wu Lei (F4–027)

| Round 2: Qi Only of 3 Rounds {4.0 : 1 |

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C5 |★5 | B5 vs D5 | Ma Chen(B5–030) vs Liu Feng(D5–021)

| Round 3: Weapons Round {5.1 : 1 |

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C6 | ★6 | A6 vs E6 | Ren Shuyan (A6-015)

| Lan jieyan (E6-032)

| Round 3: Weapons Round {7.5 : 1 |

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C7 | ★7 | A6 vs B7 | Jin Yanhan (A7–012) vs Xu Jie (B7–033)

| Round 1: Starting 3 Rounds 3.2 : 1 |

⸻————————————————————————

🧠 Student Snapshot – 🔒 Secure View Only

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Name | Class–ID |★ Rank| Awakening | Professions Beast / Soul Beast

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Fan Yumei | A6–011 | ★6 |

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| Dual Core | Beastmaster / Beast Healer/ Rune master |

{ Maxius (Phantom Eagle), Lufei (Emerald Spirit Deer), Mystic (Golden thunder cloud sperm whale)}

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{Glutton Panda}

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Xu Jie |B7–033 |★7| Single Beastmaster| ✔️ Lightning Wolf

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Lan Jieyun | E6–032 |★6 |Single Rune Warrior |❌ None Visible

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🔒 Full mental stats, soul scores, and qi indexes remain Federation-encrypted.

⸻

I look at upcoming battles looking to bet on jin minhe battle.

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📅 Upcoming Matchups

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🔹 Solo Rounds (1v1 | Standard 3 Rounds

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Arena | ⭐️ Rank | Fighters Scheduled Format

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➡️C3 | ★3 | Chen Tao (E3–009) vs Li Mei (D3–022)

[Round 1: Hand-to-Hand]

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C4 | ★4 | Yuan Qiao (B4–011) vs Feng Lihua (F4–019)

[Round 1: Hand-to-Hand]

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C2 | ★2 | Meng Rui (C2–015) vs Zhang Yin (F2–028)

[Round 2: Qi Only(spells, curses,runes)]

⸻

Arena | ★ Rank |

C6 | ★6 | Jin Minhe (A6–012) vs Bao Lei (B6–020)

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C7 | ★7 | Lin Jimin(E6–008) vs Zhou Han(F6-026

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Place Bet

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🎲 Betting receipt:

Initial bet: 500 Federation coins

Odds Bet on Jin Minhe full sweep (3-0 victory): 3:1

Bonus:

Betting to win: all three rounds

Possible Winnings :

500 coins × 3 = 1,500 coins

Net gain possibly : +4,500 coins

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[Team Round – Qi Use Only (No Beasts, Only Runes, Spells etc)]

⸻

🔻Final Round Team elimination battles upcoming (6 vs 6 | Chaos Format) the top six winners from every Division will face off.

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Arena | ★ Rank | Battle royal Format

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C5 | ★5 | Class A5-F5

- ????

-????

- ????

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C3 | ★3 | Class A3-F3

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- ????

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C1 | ★1 | Class A1 -F1

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- ????

-????

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C6 | ★6 | Class A6-F6

———

-????

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C7 | ★7 | Class A7-F7

———

-????

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C2 | ⭐️ 2 | Class A2-F2

———

-????

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C4 | ★4 | Class A4 -F4

———-

-????

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[Randomized scenario battles]

[Place Bets Here] 🔒Locked until solo battles are completed]

———

Mystic flew over head.

A few students stared up in awe. I ignored them.

After betting money on a quiet, underdog mage from Class C-3 and a safe 500 coin bet on Jin minhe upcoming match , I stepped back after receiving my receipts and flicked open my pocket notebook.

A few Class B students passed by, muttering about 'nerd Beastmasters taking notes on fights like it's finals week.' I stared them down until they shut up.

"Let them think what they want," I muttered. "We'll see who's laughing when we cash out."

🗒️ Note Addendum:

→ Refine internal tactic rotations for battle royal match.

→ See if Mystic's altitude during skirmishes affects enemy formation instincts. Test during next Beast Arena free period.

A flicker of commotion from the front row caught my attention.

A new set of matches was being called. The banner overhead read:

Elite Division Showcase – Special Advancement vs. Special Elite

Even Lufei stilled beside me. Maxius lifted his head sharply.

"Oh?" I murmured.

⸻

⚔️ Arena C8

Elite and special advancement class Matches Begins

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🔰 Round 1 – Hand-to-Hand Combat Only

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Two silhouettes entered the ring. Hei Rou in tailored midnight blue with silver-edged sleeves—quiet and unshakable. Yan Luo stood tall across from her, stripped of his usual obsidian armor and down to base training wear. No weapons. No qi. No tricks.

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📢 "Arena C8! Round One—Hand-to-Hand! No qi, no weapons, no beasts! BEGIN!"

——

No warm-up. No circling.

Hei Rou rushed in.

Elbow feints. Low parry strikes. Her steps were tight, weight always balanced. Yan Luo didn't retreat—he advanced into her rhythm, meeting her head-on with open palm strikes and swift elbow redirections.

A hip throw from Hei Rou nearly brought him down. Yan caught himself mid-roll and answered with a sharp palm to the sternum. Both grunted—neither stepped back.

Their styles clashed in tempo: Hei Rou, a dancer with ice in her veins; Yan Luo, a boulder that moved like a storm.

Three minutes of blur and bruises.

[📢 "Time! Round One ends in a draw!"]

No cheers. Only stunned silence.

⸻

⚡ Round 2 – Qi Use Only

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[📢 "Round Two! Qi Techniques Only—No weapons, no beasts! All forms of qi, spells, curses, and runes are allowed. BEGIN!"]

———

The tension shifted immediately.

Hei Rou lifted her hand. Frost qi bloomed like snow caught mid-flower, spiraling into a three-ringed glyph that hovered above her shoulder.

Yan Luo snapped his wrists. Thunder qi laced along his spine, arms humming with the buzz of stored force. He stepped into a stance—broad, grounded—then drove a qi circle into the air with one palm. It glowed gold and violet.

Then chaos bloomed.

Hei Rou's frost rings flared, dropping sudden ice plates across the field. They weren't meant to trap—they redirected. Every time Yan moved to strike, she adjusted the terrain beneath his feet, sliding his momentum away.

Yan responded with pulse-dampening runes, each stomp triggering thunderous backlash. One misstep from Hei Rou, and she nearly lost control of her own glyphs.

She retaliated—not directly, but by freezing the qi field around his next move.

That's when he grinned—and cast an internal echo curse that turned her reflected qi against her for a split second. The field wavered, both recoiling from equal burn.

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🗒️ Tactical Notes:

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• Hei Rou: Frost qi runes aren't meant to trap—but to predict motion and bend reactions.

→ Lufei can mimic redirection ring pulse as part of her spin-disengage.

• Yan Luo: Internal thunder resonance curses add impact on disruption.

→ Study internal qi-buffering techniques for Maxius's phase shift recovery.

Final glyphs flared. Curses clashed mid-air.

[📢 "Round Two—draw!"]

Still no winner.

Still no hesitation.

⸻

🗡️ Round 3 – Weapons Only (Qi Enhancement Only)

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📢 "Round Three! Weapons Only—No beasts, no offensive spells or runes. Qi permitted for internal support only. BEGIN!"

———-

Hei Rou drew her twin sabers—slim, matte steel, forged for rapid arcs and tight motion.

Yan Luo brought his halberd to shoulder—a heavy thing with storm-forged teeth along the curved blade.

They bowed.

And they moved.

No blinding qi blasts now. Just subtle internal enhancements.

Hei Rou's footwork was sharper—she was pushing qi into her knees, ankles, breath. It gave her balance, gave her speed.

Yan Luo's swings came slower—but they were unshakable. He wasn't charging the blade—he was charging his arms, his grip, his stance. It gave his halberd weight like falling stone.

First clash—saber vs polearm.

Second—saber locked between grip and shaft.

Third—Hei Rou slid under a full sweep and struck the edge of his foot with her pommel. He didn't flinch.

Then he disarmed one saber with a twist—and she used her remaining blade to twist the halberd off course.

"One minute remaining!"

They weren't holding back.

Just holding everything inside.

Steel met steel. Breath met breath.

And in the last second—Hei Rou's blade tip rested an inch from his chest as his halberd curved behind her back, not striking.

[📢 "Final round—draw!"]

No winner.

Only proof.

⸻

🏁 Match Result: Triple Round Draw

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Referee: "C8 Elite Match concludes—no violations, no yields. Match: Draw."

⸻

🗒️ Elite Tactical Log – Personal Observations

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• Hei Rou: Ice-based motion manipulation. Glyphs, footwork, and environmental control.

→ Lufei's next training: freeze-reactive terrain pulse.

• Yan Luo: Polearm synergy with thunder qi. Internal echo and physical redirection tactics.

→ Maxius needs resonance buffering in short-range intercepts.

——

I looked down at my notes.

Lufei leaned into my side. Maxius lowered his head, a low, thoughtful chirp vibrating through his chest.

We weren't there yet.

But we were close.

And when it was our turn—we wouldn't be drawing.

We'd be writing the rules.

Chapter 36 - Chapter 36: Class battles (pt3)